The Tired Old S.W.O.T. Analysis

If I had to do a finger count of how many times I had to create a S.W.O.T. analysis in business school, I may very well need to borrow the hands of every single person reading this article.

You hear about it all the time. And at some point, the words “beating a dead horse” will definitely fly through your mind.

So, if the proverbial S.W.O.T. is indeed a concept that has been done to death, why do we need to keep talking about it?

Well, like the overplayed song “Tom Sawyer” by the Canadian rock gods, Rush, you keep hearing about S.W.O.T. because it’s actually quite a great concept.

The main problem with the S.W.O.T. analysis is that people are so used to hearing about it, that it has lost its meaning.

Upon hearing “S.W.O.T. analysis”, many either think of a process as boring as creating a chart in Microsoft Word, or sitting through a dry meeting with a marketing department or an outside consultant.

But, the S.W.O.T. analysis is still an extremely useful tool when used correctly. It isn’t simply about jotting down brainstormed points about current business strengths and weaknesses, and it certainly isn’t about taking educated guesses about external opportunities and threats. A proper S.W.O.T. is based on research, analysis, and lively discussion. The result should be a very detailed understanding of the internal and external positives and negatives your business faces as it tries to position itself for success.

That is why we have truly crafted the art of the S.W.O.T.— we take it seriously.

Our Jump-Start S.W.O.T. process slides your business and products under the marketing microscope. It’s an intense, one-day session that puts all the senior members of your team through a series of pointed analytical discussions designed to get consensus on what your company and products must leverage and overcome to succeed in your chosen market. The session is facilitated by one of our senior marketing and public relations experts. After the session, we analyze the results and produce a final report upon which you can build or adjust your marketing strategy and develop or refine your key messages and positioning statements.

Sometimes all you really need is to get your marketing and public relations programs off to a good start, or bring them back in line with your business strategy. Our S.W.O.T services do just that.

Integrated marketing is the foundation of marketing success. Read here about how integrated marketing can help eliminate the first five minutes of a sales pitch.

If you want more information, or you’re ready to jump-start your marketing and PR with a truly useful S.W.O.T., give us a call today.